Re: GNU/Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario

[Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>]

On Sul, 2005-12-11 at 17:38 +0100, Florian Weimer wrote:
> IP enforcements varies quite a lot across Europe.  I'm being told that
> in the UK, the DVD situation is as worse as in some Asian countries
> (i.e. you can buy illegal copies of current movies on flea markets).

It isnt quite as bad. However there is a lack of interest in enforcement
from local government who have better things to spend their money on,
and also because the IP rules have been abused so much in the UK
including to charge rip off prices that local goverment serves voters
who are likely to vote against not for any local government
representative who decides to go on an anti-piracy crusade. I've heard
people in the trading standards area (which tackles counterfeiting)
who've been told by their elected "masters" to concentrate solely on the
other areas of their duties like product safety if they want to have an
operating budget next year.

Unfortuantely the bad behaviour of the big media companies that
triggered much of this gets reflected back at everything even
disinterest in GPL violation enforcment or large scale violations by big
business.

Alan